Adelaide Writers Week 2026 has been cancelled following a mass withdrawal of authors protesting the disinvitation of Palestinian Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah. The Adelaide Festival board announced the cancellation on Tuesday, stating that the event scheduled to start on 28 February would no longer proceed.
The three remaining board members resigned immediately, joining four others who had already stepped down. The decision to cancel came five days after the board intervened to drop Abdel-Fattah from the lineup, citing “cultural sensitivities” after the Bondi attack. Over 180 authors and speakers subsequently withdrew in protest.
The board apologised to Abdel-Fattah “for how the decision was represented”, adding that the action was taken “out of respect for a community experiencing the pain from a devastating event”. However, Abdel-Fattah rejected the apology, calling it “disingenuous” and “adding insult to injury”. She stated that the board’s regret extended only to the messaging, not the decision itself, which she described as “insulting and racist in the extreme”.
Writers Week director Louise Adler resigned earlier on Tuesday, saying she “cannot be party to silencing writers”. She noted that 70% of writers had withdrawn, including international figures like Zadie Smith, M Gessen, and Jonathan Coe, making the event untenable.
The South Australian government announced a new board led by Judy Potter, who previously chaired the Adelaide Festival board for nearly a decade. Other members include Rob Brookman, Jane Doyle, and John Irving. SA Arts Minister Andrea Michaels called the festival a “treasured institution” that must be safeguarded.
